Victor Wembanyama is listed as questionable for Sunday's Game 4 vs. the Trail Blazers as the Spurs star continues working through the NBA's concussion protocol.
Victor Wembanyama faces another uncertain status for Game 4 of the San Antonio Spurs' first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. He was officially listed as questionable again as he continues to work through the NBA's concussion protocol.
Wembanyama has remained sidelined since suffering the concussion early in the second quarter of Tuesday's Game 2. The injury occurred when he was fouled by Jrue Holiday on a drive in the paint and fell face-first to the floor. He was ruled out for Friday's Game 3, a 120-108 San Antonio road win that put the Spurs ahead 2-1 in the series. However, he did have some activity at shootaround and in pre-game workouts.
The 7-foot-4 center, this season's Defensive Player of the Year and the first unanimous winner of the award in NBA history, finished Game 2 with 5 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes before being ruled out. He is also one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said this week that Wembanyama was "progressing" through the protocol's required steps, which include light cardio, jogging, agility work, and non-contact team drills. Each stage requires a player to remain symptom-free before advancing, and final clearance must be granted by both the team's medical staff and an independent league specialist.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Wembanyama began light cardiovascular activity on Wednesday without symptom flare-ups. He traveled with the Spurs to Portland and participated in shooting drills at Friday morning's shootaround before being ruled out for Game 3 that night.
Without their franchise center on the floor, the Spurs erased a 15-point third-quarter deficit at Moda Center behind 33 points from second-year guard Stephon Castle and a playoff career-high 27 points off the bench from rookie guard Dylan Harper. Harper, 20, scored 22 of his points in the second half on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Castle and Harper became the second pair of teammates 21 or younger to each score 25 or more points in a playoff game, joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook during their time with Oklahoma City in the 2010 first round.
Reserve center Luke Kornet added 14 points and 10 rebounds in place of Wembanyama. Holiday led the Trail Blazers with 29 points, and Scoot Henderson chipped in 21.
Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists this season while shooting 51.2% from the field and leading the league with 3.1 blocks per game. He scored 35 points in Game 1, a Spurs franchise record for a player's postseason debut.
Game 4 is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET tip-off Sunday at Moda Center, with coverage on ESPN.